


Mother's Day

by Gangstertogangster



Category: Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Gen, Mother's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gangstertogangster/pseuds/Gangstertogangster
Summary: Another Holiday one-shot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Mother's Day

Tilda hated this day in particular. But she had to lie about her feelings on Mother’s Day, especially in front of the kid. 

Sent off to private schools. Sent to Mamie Johnson. Sent out of the room, out of the office, out of the house. And for roughly seven years now, she had to live with the fact that her own mother’s trauma was due to her. There were some apologies, but what kind of apologies could possibly make up for the hurt her mother unleashed upon her that night at Rand. 

She usually coped by sitting at her shop counter, flipping through old books on the spells she found comfort in. She felt so tempted to poison her mother like she often wished she could. It would be so easy, make the spider’s kiss, put it into a lipstick, apply it, kiss mother on the mouth and know she would swiftly yet painfully die.

But circumstances got different fast. She kept hating herself for even considering the plan. And for the betrayal it would mean for  _ her.  _ It was much easier to imagine her mother dying before this kid came into the picture. And the kid was right there, running around her shop and roaming around. Tilda had to keep telling her not to touch things. Nightshade was hard enough to come by without a six year old wreaking havoc in her shop. 

“Honor, hey, don’t touch that, OK?”

“Honor! Hey! Put that down!” 

“Tilda, let’s just GO then!” Honor cried out, sounding more impatient than Tilda somehow. 

Tilda took some meditative breaths and said, “Give me a moment and then we can go to your parents.” 

“They’re YOUR parents too,” Honor insisted. 

“Shades is not…” Tilda began but then softened when she saw the alarm in the expression of Honor. 

She would travel to Jamaica more often than her partner would come to Harlem in secret. John kept trying to tell her to cut them loose. And she really did want to. Her sympathies were entirely with John. But she couldn’t just pack up and leave Harlem again. And she couldn’t just go and destroy her mother, that would be too easy. Mariah would just have to live with the knowledge that John would still be around. 

Tilda sighed as she pushed these thoughts away. “Hernan isn’t my daddy, Honor,” she corrected. 

“He’s your stepdaddy,” Honor insisted. 

Tilda forced herself to nod and smile. Then leave it at that. 

She walked with Honor to her parents’ new home. Honor spent the walk giggling and smiling and talking about how she was excited for her daddy’s pancakes. 

Tilda just tried to focus on the springtime weather. It was a nice sunny day with a good breeze. She was wearing a casual patterned sundress, and even if she wanted to she didn’t have time to change. 

Honor was decked out in a pink designer dress with puffy sleeves and some matching Mary Janes. 

When they got to the brownstone, Honor raced up the stairs, knocking. Mother opened the door. She was wearing a stylish purple dress, had her face made up, but this wasn’t even close to her truly regal Harlem’s Paradise attire. She beamed at her younger daughter, kissed her cheek, ruffled her hair. Then she extended a warm embrace to Tilda, who tried to just look forward to this whole meeting being over. 

She whispered in her mother’s ear, “Mother, why did you have to send her to get me, I didn’t want to come.” 

Mariah said at a normal volume, “T, sweetie, I’m glad you came, Honor wanted us all to have breakfast together.” 

Tilda rolled her eyes and walked past her carefully as if she were a land mine. She might as well have been. 

The table was set and Hernan went over to offer a greeting. He momentarily locked eyes with Tilda. They exchanged a cordial nod. 

Honor was gamboling from room to room, crying out, “Whole family breakfast!” 

Tilda groaned audibly. Hernan overheard and shook his head, so Tilda shot him a dirty look. 

Mariah walked over to the dining table, calling everyone to eat. Tilda crept close to her mother and whispered again, “This day can’t possibly be easy for you either.” 

Mariah was instantly taken aback. She got that malicious look in her eye. But she kept her cheery smile after a few seconds of trying to maintain composure. 

She quietly hissed, “Watch it, T. This is for Honor. She wanted to invite you, not me. She thought you’d want to celebrate Mother’s Day with me too.” 

Tilda gave a frustrated sort of laugh at that. Mariah rolled her eyes. Just then, Honor bounded towards them. 

“Let’s go eat!” She cried out, wrapping her arms around Mariah. Tilda forced herself to smile again. As she watched Mariah hug Honor back with something that almost felt to Tilda like true affection, she felt the bitter taste of jealousy creep into her mouth. She needed those pancakes. 


End file.
